SC Clarifies Stand On Form 6, Lists SIR Petitions For Oct 27

The Supreme Court on Monday said it had not examined the validity of the new Form 6, making it clear that the form had neither been approved nor rejected during the hearing on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, India Today reported. Form 6 is used by eligible individuals to apply for inclusion in the electoral roll.

A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, said the petition would be taken up on October 27 along with other pending pleas concerning the SIR exercise.

Court Hearing Details

During the hearing, counsel for the petitioner submitted that the Election Commission had claimed Form 6 was approved by the Supreme Court. He referred to the court's observation on October 5 that it had not approved any modifications to Form 6, which the Election Commission is using during the SIR of electoral rolls in various states.

Justice Bagchi said, “There is no adjudication on the new Form 6. That is all we have said.”

He added that the new Form 6 was not before the court when it heard the Bihar SIR matter. “What the Chief Justice said was that when the Bihar SIR matter was heard by us, the new Form 6 was not there,” he said, clarifying that this did not amount to either approval or disapproval by the apex court.

Election Commission's claim

On October 5, while hearing a separate petition, the Supreme Court had said it had not approved any modifications to Form 6. The Election Commission had issued a press release on September 26 suggesting that the apex court had upheld the Form 6 declaration in its May 2026 judgment concerning the Bihar SIR.

The petition heard on October 5 also referred to Section 18 of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023, which deals with decision-making by the Election Commission and provides that the majority view prevails in the event of a difference of opinion.

Challenge To Form 6

The petition challenges changes to Form 6, which is used by people seeking voter registration. It alleges that the requirement to provide ancestral details and establish a link with the previous SIR was introduced through the Election Commission's software without the statutory amendment required under the electoral rules.

The Supreme Court has clarified that it has not ruled on the new Form 6. The wider challenge to the form and the SIR process will be heard along with related petitions on October 27.